In this article, we will look at who is responsible for fire safety in the workplace, the regulations and responsibilities of those responsible, as well as some workplace fire prevention rules.

Who is Responsible for Fire Safety in the Workplace?

Ensuring fire safety in the workplace is a shared responsibility, with specific roles assigned to different individuals. The UK Government’s guidelines state that primary responsibility lies with a key figure who, in most cases, is one of the following:

• An employer.
• The owner of the premises.
• The landlord.
• An occupier.
• Anyone else with control of the premises, for example, a facilities manager, building manager, managing agent or risk assessor.

These individuals, known as responsible persons, are designated to oversee the day-to-day implementation of fire safety measures, including maintaining firefighting equipment, organising regular fire drills, and ensuring that all occupants are familiar with evacuation procedures.

Employees also play a crucial role in fire safety compliance and vigilance, following established fire safety procedures, participating in training programs, and promptly reporting potential hazards, all of which are vital to maintaining safety.

Need a Fire Warden Training Course?

In some cases, the company will designate a fire warden. Our Fire Warden Training Course will provide you with the necessary theoretical training required to be a qualified fire warden

Fire Safety Regulations in the Workplace

There are comprehensive fire safety regulations in place for workplaces to safeguard both employees and premises. Understanding and adhering to these regulations is vital to maintaining a safe working environment and minimising the risk of fire-related incidents.

The responsible person, such as the employer or owner of the premises, must play an essential role in managing fire risks. The official government website lists the following crucial aspects that responsible persons must perform:

• Carrying out a fire risk assessment of the premises and reviewing it regularly.
• Informing staff or their representatives about the risks they identify.
• Implementing and maintaining appropriate fire safety measures.
• Having a plan for a fire emergency.
• Providing staff information, instruction and training around fire safety.

The government also offers a collection of guidance materials for those with legal duties for workplace fire safety covering specific measures required for compliance. This includes the provision of suitable firefighting equipment, regular risk assessments, and the establishment of clear evacuation procedures.

You can learn more about how to create a fire safety evacuation plan in our article here.

Fire Prevention Rules for the Workplace

There are a number of rules you can implement in your workplace to reduce the risk of fire. These are outlined below.

Heating

• Avoid using open electrical bar heaters or halogen-type heaters – oil-filled (radiant) radiators are a safer alternative.
• Avoid placing heaters near flammable objects or under desks.
• Keep heaters clear of any blinds/curtains/furnishings, etc.
• Ensure that heaters with time switches are not set to automatically come on at certain times, as they might do when people are out of the office.
• Set a reminder to turn heaters off before you leave the office.
• Ensure you have a heater that automatically switches off if it topples over.
• Look out for staining or discolouration of the appliance or surroundings, and discontinue using the heater if you see any. The same goes for any strange smells.

Cooking

• Do not leave food unattended during preparations.
• Ensure you switch off equipment, e.g. an oven or microwave, after use.
• Keep tea towels and other flammable materials away from the stove or other heated appliances.
• Ensure the oven, stove, and grill are kept clean, as a build-up of fat and food debris can cause a fire.
• Do not place anything metal in microwaves.
• Do not use microwaves as an additional surface (this blocks the air vents).

Smoking

• Make sure you fully extinguish cigarettes and discard them properly.
• Keep an eye on cigarette bins and empty them if they get too full (or notify whoever is responsible for doing so).

Electrical

• Ensure electrical equipment has a suitable conformity marking indicating it has been manufactured to safety standards. As a result of Brexit, Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) is in a transition period with regard to conformity marking and conformity assessment of products being manufactured or supplied for sale in Great Britain. All new PPE supplied in Great Britain must be marked with the appropriate conformity marking (UKCA or CE before the deadline for UKCA implementation) or be accompanied by documentation marked with it. There are different requirements for Northern Ireland.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using a device/piece of equipment.
• Use official chargers and cables for devices and equipment.
• Don’t leave appliances charging unsupervised for a long time.
• Don’t charge a battery that looks damaged.
• Don’t cover up items when charging, as they emit heat, and keep them away from flammable materials.
• Don’t leave appliances and equipment running overnight or when no one is in the office; make sure they are properly switched off and don’t have timer settings activated that could make them come back on when no one’s around.
• Don’t overload sockets – outlets, extension leads, and adaptors have a limit to how many amps they can take.
• Keep an eye out for burn marks or stains around plug sockets, which suggest overheating.
• Keep an eye out for frayed or worn cables and wires.
• Keep an eye out for flickering lights, blown fuses, or circuit-breakers that trip for no apparent reason.
• Always switch off your equipment at the mains when it’s not in use and unplug where appropriate.
• Always ensure that damaged cable sections are properly replaced – don’t simply repair them with insulating tape.
• Report faulty equipment and take it out of use immediately.

Waste build-up

• Keep walkways and fire exit routes clear of flammable materials, such as cardboard boxes, paper, fabrics, etc.
• Make sure it is correctly disposed of/recycled away from the premises.

A fire hazard could develop at any time. As well as following these rules, remember to look out for any new fire hazards by performing a daily check of your workplace.

You can learn more fire safety tips by reading our article Top 10 Fire Safety Tips in the Workplace. 

Remember, everyone plays a part in keeping their office safe, and following these simple prevention rules will help to ensure that no one has to face the flames of a fire or its devastating after-effects.

Further Resources:

• Fire Safety Quiz
• Information about the Fire Triangle & Tetrahedron
• Understanding the Different Types and Uses of Fire Extinguishers 
• What Does PASS Stand For? Fire Extinguisher Use and Safety
• Workplace Health and Safety Quiz for Employees
• Fire Extinguisher Quiz
• Fire Safety Signs
• Fire Risk Assessment Template
• Fire Risk Assessment Training

The post Fire Safety Rules and Regulations in the Workplace appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

It’s vital that every type of workplace has at least one suitably stocked first aid kit on site. This will ensure that if one of your employees falls ill or becomes injured at work, they can receive the appropriate first aid, using the correct equipment, as soon as possible – giving them the best chance of recovery. 

In this article, we will outline what should be included in every basic workplace first aid kit and consider additional contents that may be required for workplaces with higher-level hazards. We have also provided a free, editable workplace first aid kit checklist that you can use to ensure that your first aid kit is always suitably stocked.

What Should Be In a First Aid Kit at Work?

First aid arrangements are a legal requirement for all businesses, and this includes having adequate first aid equipment available at all times. 

As an employer, you are responsible for ensuring that your employees can receive immediate first aid treatment, should they become ill or injured at work. Under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, you must ensure that your workplace first aid provisions are adequate and appropriate for your particular workplace, based on its circumstances. 

Your legal responsibility only extends to providing adequate and appropriate first aid provisions for your employees. However, the HSE strongly recommends that you also extend a duty of care to anyone else who enters your premises, including members of the public. This means that you should also take them into consideration when performing your needs assessment and deciding the first aid provisions required for your workplace. 

At a minimum for all workplaces, you have a duty to provide your workplace with: 

• A sufficiently-stocked basic first aid kit in your workplace, as well as any additional contents needed, specific to your workplace. You must also provide adequate first aid facilities and trained staff, where a need for this is identified. 
• An appointed person whose responsibility it is to ensure that the workplace first aid kit(s) is always suitably stocked and to call the emergency services when necessary.
• Information on the details of your workplace first aid arrangements for all employees. 

First Aid Needs Assessment

To determine whether your workplace needs additional first aid kit contents, along with first aid facilities and trained staff required, you must perform a first aid needs assessment of your workplace.

A first aid needs assessment is an assessment performed by an appropriately trained and competent person, ideally the employer. During a needs assessment, you will consider the circumstances of your workplace, your workforce and any risks and hazards present. From your findings, you can then identify the first aid provisions required in your workplace. 

Looking to Learn More?

If you’d like to learn more about first aid needs assessments, including how to complete one for your workplace, you can read our article: How to Complete a First Aid Needs Assessment, which contains a free template.

When deciding your first aid needs, including your first aid kit contents, you need to consider the nature of work being carried out in your workplace, and the associated risk. Performing a risk assessment will help to identify potential hazards and the level of risk associated with them. Every business should carry out a regular risk assessment. 

Your risk assessment will help you to identify the hazards and level of risk in your workplace, based on the number of hazards. In a low-risk workplace (such as an office or shop), there are only a small number of hazards present that could cause illness or injury. 

For this reason, a basic first aid kit is sometimes found to be a suitable provision for low-level hazard workplaces, along with an appointed person and first-aid information provided to employees. 

Higher-level hazard workplaces (such as factories or construction sites) will generally require a greater level of first aid provisions than low-level hazard workplaces, such as specialised first aid equipment, as there are more hazards and risks that could lead to injury or illness.

It’s important to keep in mind that just because your workplace may be considered to have low-level hazards, incidents leading to injury or illness can still occur there, so performing a first aid needs assessment is vital. To learn more about the incidents that can occur in low-level hazard workplaces, check out our article on common office injuries, here. 

How Many First Aid Kits Do I Need?

The number of employees in your workplace must also be taken into consideration when deciding necessary first aid provisions. Generally speaking, larger workforces will require more first aid kits and equipment. 

The British Standard BS 8599 provides guidance on the recommended size and number of workplace first aid kits you should have, as well as their contents, based on the nature of work being carried out and size of the workforce. 

For low-level hazard workplaces: 

• If there are less than 25 employees: provide one small kit. 
• If there are 25 – 100 employees: provide one medium-sized kit. 
• If there are more than 100 employees: provide one large kit per every 100 employees. 

For higher-level hazard workplaces:  

• If there are less than 5 employees: provide one small kit. 
• If there are 5-25 employees: provide one medium-sized kit. 
• If there are more than 25 employees: provide one large kit per every 25 employees. 

The number of first aid kits you have in your workplace should also depend on the size of your workplace, even if you only have a small number of employees. If your workplace is very large – for example consisting of several floors or sites – it’s best practice to provide a first aid kit for each of these areas. These kits should be easy to identify and access so that first aiders don’t need to waste precious time searching for them. 

If you’d like more specific guidance on the size and number of first aid kits you need in your workplace, take a look at our article, here. 

Note that you can buy pre-packed first aid kits that conform to the British Standard (BS) 8599. However, your kit doesn’t need to meet this standard by law. 

Additionally, if you have employees who work remotely or frequently travel for work, you must also ensure you meet their first aid needs requirements. This could mean providing them with a travel first aid kit or ensuring that they make or buy their own. Schools are required to have travel first aid kits for any excursions from the main site. 

Every workplace is different and will have different needs. It’s your responsibility to ensure that your first aid kit contains what you’ve identified in your first aid needs assessment.

Basic First Aid Kit Items

While all workplaces are required to have a suitably stocked first aid kit, there is no mandatory list of items that must be included in one. Fortunately, your first aid needs assessment will help you to identify the specific needs of your workplace. 

To help you put together your workplace first aid kit, we will go through a list of items that should be included in a basic first aid kit. This should only be used as a basis for your workplace first aid kit, with extra provisions being added based on the findings of your first aid needs assessment. 

First Aid Guidance Leaflet

In a higher-level hazard workplace, the person providing first aid in your workplace is most likely to be a trained first aider, meaning they have the skills and knowledge required to administer aid for a range of different injuries and illnesses. 

Including a leaflet on general first aid in your workplace first aid kit provides essential guidance and acts as a useful reminder for what each piece of equipment or materials can and should be used for when treating an ill or injured person. 

Looking for a Course?

Providing employees with theoretical first aid training, at a minimum, will help to ensure that they always know how to use the basic first aid equipment included in a first aid kit. Our Workplace First Aid course gives you the confidence to recognise and respond to a variety of illnesses and injuries, including emergency situations, quickly and correctly.

Additionally, if someone is providing first aid in an emergency situation and they aren’t sure what to do next, they should always consult the emergency services on 999 or 112. For non-emergencies, NHS 111 can be called for professional guidance.

Sterile Dressings

There are various types of wound dressing, appropriate for treating a range of injuries, from bleeding wounds to fractures. You should have a variety of wound dressings in your first aid kit, including, at a minimum:

• 20 individually wrapped, sterile plasters of assorted sizes, including hypoallergenic options: these are useful for small wounds such as abrasions or shallow cuts. 
• Individually wrapped, sterile, unmedicated wound dressings, 6 medium sized and 2 large sized: dressing pads attached to a roller bandage are best as these are easy to apply, making them effective for use in time-dependent, emergency situations.
• 2 sterile eye pads: these should be used to protect eye injuries from infection.

If you work with food, you should include blue plasters in your first aid kit, as these can be seen easily if they fall into the food. 

Bandages

Bandages can be used to secure wound dressings, keep pressure on wounds, manage swelling and support joint injuries. 

At a minimum, your workplace first aid kit should contain two individually wrapped triangular bandages. These can be used to make slings for injured limbs and, if sterile, as dressings for wounds and burns. 

Depending on your workplace circumstances, your kit may also need to include:

• Roller bandages: these come in four types; conforming, open-weave, support and self-adhesive.
• Tubular bandages: small versions of these can be used to secure dressings for injuries to fingers and toes, while larger, elasticated versions are used to support injured joints, for example the knees or elbows. 

You should also include at least 6 safety pins in your first aid kit, for securing the ends of bandages. 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

All first aid kits should contain at least three pairs of disposable gloves, preferably latex-free. Where possible, these should be worn when providing any form of first aid, but particularly when dressing wounds or handling bodily fluids or other waste materials. 

In higher-risk workplaces, your needs assessment may identify the need for additional first aid PPE, for example, pocket masks or plastic face shields for performing CPR with rescue breaths. As only trained first aiders should perform CPR with rescue breaths, in workplaces that do not require a trained first aider, this provision may not be deemed necessary. 

Disposable aprons are another form of PPE that can be included in a first aid kit to prevent the spread of infection through bodily fluid or other waste. 

It’s important to note that, when deciding whether to put on PPE before administering first aid, the severity of the casualty’s illness or injury must be taken into account, along with the availability of PPE. In a time-dependent, emergency situation, such as a case of severe bleeding or cardiac arrest, you do not have time to go looking for PPE if it isn’t close to hand and administering first aid at once must take priority. 

Remember, this is only a suggested list of first aid kit content and the contents of your particular workplace first aid kit should be determined by the findings of your first aid needs assessment. 

Additional First Aid Kit Contents

As previously discussed, the findings of your first aid needs assessment may reveal the need for additional first aid kit contents, depending on the nature of work, the workplace and workforce. If you have a higher-level hazard workplace, for example one where heavy machinery or chemicals are used, you will require additional contents to ensure your employees can be treated for a range of illnesses or injuries, if needed. 

Below, we have suggested some additional contents that may be beneficial in your workplace first aid kit. However, it’s important to remember that every workplace is different and so are the hazards within them. As an employer you are best informed to know what first aid kit provisions your workplace would benefit from. 

Depending on the circumstances of your workplace, your first aid kit may also need to include: 

• Scissors to cut bandages or dressings to size, to cut adhesive tape, or to cut through clothing to reach a wound. 
• Cleansing wipes to clean around a wound. 
• Gauze pads to pad a wound. 
• Adhesive tape to stick dressings to skin or stick down the ends of bandages.
• An aluminium blanket to keep a casualty warm if necessary, for example if the casualty has gone into shock.  
• Hand sanitisers and/or wipes to reduce the risk of spreading infection during and after administering first aid. 
• Ice packs and heating pads to treat soft tissue injuries, such as sports injuries.
• Burn gels and dressings are particularly important in workplaces with a high risk of burns, such as the hospitality industry. 
• Eye wash is required if a hazardous substance enters the eye, such as a chemical. If your workplace doesn’t have mains tap water, your kit should include at least one litre of sterile water or sterile normal saline (0.9%) in sealed, disposable containers. In some high-level hazard workplaces, where there is a substantial risk of this, such as in a laboratory, may have eye bath stations. 
• Tweezers can be used to remove splinters, tics, etc.

Workplace First Aid Kit Checklist

We have provided you with a free, downloadable and editable workplace first aid kit contents checklist that can be used in your workplace by your appointed person. They can use the first aid kit checklist to ensure that your workplace first aid kit is always suitably stocked in case an employee, or anyone else in that environment, becomes unwell or injured at work. 

We have included the basic first aid kit contents covered in this module in the checklist – however, it is editable so that you can add any additional equipment required for your particular workplace, as identified by your first aid needs assessment. 

If the nature of your workplace circumstances changes, you should perform a new needs assessment and, if it identifies any new first aid equipment needed in your workplace, you should add this to the checklist and your first aid kit. 

You can download the checklist using the button below:

Knowing how to perform first aid, through theoretical and practical training, can mean the difference between life or death for someone suffering a medical emergency. However, without the proper first aid equipment available close to hand, first aiders will struggle to administer this aid, and the casualty could deteriorate. It is therefore essential that you have a suitably stocked first aid kit in your workplace to keep your employees as safe as possible.

What to Read Next:

• Workplace First Aid Quiz 
• How Many First Aiders Do I Need In My Workplace? 
• First Aid Qualifications: The Difference Between FAW and EFAW
• How to Support Individuals After Giving First Aid Assistance
• What are the Responsibilities of a First Aider?

The post What Should Be In A First Aid Kit? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

• Guidance for First Aid Kits in the Workplace
• What Should Be Included In Your Workplace First Aid Box?
• How Many First Aiders Do I Need In My Workplace?
• How to Conduct a First Aid Needs Assessment: Free Template
• Paediatric First Aid Quiz
• Workplace Health and Safety Quiz for Employees
• How to Support Individuals After Giving First Aid Assistance
• What are the Responsibilities of a First Aider?
• Workplace First Aid Training

The post Workplace First Aid Quiz appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

As an employer you are legally responsible for creating a healthy and safe workplace by identifying potential dangers and preventing them from causing harm. In this article, we will outline the most common office injuries and how you can go about preventing them, in order to keep everyone in your workplace safe and well.

What are the Most Common Office Injuries?

Each workplace comes with its own set of dangers that could cause its employees, or anyone else who enters the premises, harm. While the possible causes of injury in an office may not be as obvious as in some other workplaces – such as on a construction site or in a kitchen – serious injuries can and do occur. 

Because the dangers in an office environment aren’t always obvious, employees and employers alike may not be on the lookout for them or fail to recognise them, which is how injuries occur. As an employer, then, while it is your responsibility to identify and prevent causes of injuries, you should also ensure your employees are able to do the same, in order to keep them as safe as possible. 

You can test your ability to identify office-based hazards using our Office Health and Safety Quiz, here. 

The following list outlines the most common causes of office injuries and ways to prevent them from happening. You should look for these hazards in your own workplace so you can take steps to prevent them from causing injuries to anyone in your office. 

Slips, Trips and Falls

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), slips, trips and falls are the most common cause of major injury in UK workplaces. They can also lead to more serious incidents occurring, such as a fall from height. 

When considering hazards in your workplace that could lead to slips, trips and falls, think about: 

• Slippery surfaces: is there anything that builds up outside your office building that could lead someone to slip, such as water when it rains, piles of leaves, mud or ice? Does mopping the inside of the office take place when staff members are still walking around? 
• Uneven surfaces: are there any changes in surfaces that may be hard to spot, such as small slopes or steps in entryways? Are there any potholes or uneven paving outside that someone could trip on? 
• Trip hazards: does your office space often become cluttered? Are there trailing cables, rubbish or anything else on the floor that someone could trip on? Do office deliveries get left in the doorway? Are the carpets and mats secure or are the edges curling and is there any loose or cracked tiling, particularly in bathrooms or kitchens where they could easily also become wet? 
• Handrails: a suitable handrail is essential for all stairways as it can prevent someone from tripping on the stairs and, on landings, they can also prevent a fall from height. Are your office’s handrails easy for all employees to reach and use?

Preventing Slip, Trip and Fall Injuries

To reduce the likelihood of someone being injured by a slip, trip or fall in your office, you should:

• Keep the office clear of clutter: encourage staff to keep wires organised and under their desk and if deliveries are usually left in your entryway, designate a specific area for them that is out of the way of foot-traffic. Make sure to provide enough rubbish bins to avoid litter on floors. 
• Clean entryways regularly: remove any water or debris that could cause slips on a daily basis. Consider implementing a specific winter cleaning procedure, including regular gritting if your entryways are prone to ice. Place floor mats at the entrances to the office to stop water, mud or other slippery substances from entering. 
• Highlight subtle changes in floor levels: you could use lighting or contrasting paint to highlight any slopes or steps that are difficult to see. 
• Fix floor damage as soon as possible: this includes damage inside the premises, such as to tiles, carpets and mats and any potholes or broken surfaces outside. Cordon these areas off until they can be fixed.
• Where possible, use slip-resistant materials for your office floors: this is particularly important on stairs and fire escapes. 
• Ensure cleaning schedules are aligned with staff safety: make sure floors are not mopped until all staff have left the office and that equipment and processes are effective. Using the wrong tools or techniques to clean can lead to slippery floors. 
• Implement a ‘see it, sort it’ policy among staff for spillages and trip hazards: you need to make sure you provide them with the necessary equipment to do this, such as mop buckets, cleaning cloths, etc. 

Looking to Learn More?

Our Office Health and Safety course teaches you how to identify health and safety risks in an office environment and what employees can do to prevent their work and behaviour from causing them, or others, harm.

Improper Use of Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

DSE refers to electronics including computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. By law, employers must protect their employees from health risks created by working with DSE if those workers use DSE for more than one hour a day. In an office setting, this is likely to be the case for most employees. 

DSE related injuries are mainly caused by having an unsuitable desk layout, an uncomfortable chair or needing to bend and reach your body into uncomfortable positions. 

Having an incorrect DSE setup or using the setup incorrectly can lead to health problems, some of which you may not notice right away, including: 

• Pain in the neck, shoulders, arms, back, hands and wrists. This pain can develop into more serious long-term conditions, like carpal tunnel syndrome. 
• Musculoskeletal disorders affecting the bones, joints and/or muscles.
• Eye strain, potentially leading to tired eyes, headaches and even temporary vision problems. 
• Stress and/or fatigue, which could increase the risk of employees having incidents that cause further injury. 

If you’d like to learn how to perform a thorough DSE risk assessment, check out our article which provides you with a free DSE risk assessment template, here. 

Preventing DSE Injuries

As an employer of DSE users, you are required to fulfil certain duties to keep your employees safe from harm while using DSE. These duties include: 

• Performing an assessment of employees’ DSE setup (including for remote workers). Check out our article on how to perform a workspace assessment, here. 
• Providing eye tests for workers who want one. 
• Providing training and information on the proper setup and use of DSE for employees. 
• Scheduling annual refresher training and/or assessments to ensure employees are maintaining safe practices. 

You must also implement proportionate control measures to reduce the risks workers face to their health when using DSE. These may include: 

• Allowing employees to take regular breaks from using DSE. 
• Accommodating for any special requirements a staff member may require, such as foot or wrist rests or a laptop stand.  
• Providing ergonomic desk furniture and anti-glare monitor screens. 
• Providing adequate central lighting and task lighting at each workstation. 

Even if you provide your employees with all of the correct DSE equipment, if they don’t use it correctly, or don’t know how to, their health can still be harmed. This is why training staff on the risks of DSE and proper use of equipment is vital. 

DSE training should provide guidance on correct posture, how to adjust equipment and furniture, correct desk setup, breaks and suitable lighting. 

DSE Course

Our Display Screen Equipment (DSE) course teaches you about the health risks associated with DSE and how to set up your workspace to reduce the risk of harm, as well as how to follow safe practices when working with DSE.

Manual Handling

Manual handling is the transporting or supporting of a load by hand or using bodily force, including by lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying, putting down and moving the load. 

While you may not think that any manual handling you do in an office would be enough to cause injury, just carrying a single cardboard box of papers incorrectly can be enough to do harm. 

Improper manual handling can lead to sprains and strains and injuries to most parts of the body, but particularly to the back, neck and hands. Over time, these can develop into more serious, long-term conditions such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) or repetitive strain injuries (RSIs). 

Preventing Manual Handling Injuries

Manual handling should only be performed when no other option is available. Where it is necessary, there are some control measures that can be put in place to reduce the risk of injury to employees. When manual handling, employees should: 

• Only carry what they can lift comfortably, breaking things down into smaller loads where possible. 
• Carry heavier loads with another person. 
• Clear a path for themselves before carrying a load. 
• Use manual handling aids such as trolleys to perform the task. 

You should provide manual handling training for anyone who needs to perform it as part of their job role to teach them the correct handling techniques to avoid injury. 

Manual Handling Course

Our Manual Handling course teaches you the risks involved in manual handling and how to put control measures in place to prevent harm. It also provides practical guidance on how to safely carry out manual handling tasks which is beneficial for any employee who may need to perform manual handling at work.

Falls From Height

Falls from height can lead to serious injuries, including broken bones, fractures and head injuries, even in an office environment. In fact, a fall from as little as two metres can cause serious, even fatal injuries to the person involved. 

In an office, employees may be inclined to stand on a chair or desk to reach something high up instead of using proper equipment – particularly if they don’t know where to find that equipment. Unfortunately, these are often unstable and offer nothing to hold on to for support which can easily cause someone to lose their balance, resulting in a potentially serious injury. 

Falls from stairs are another common cause of injuries in offices and these can result from an initial slip or trip.

Preventing Fall From Height Injuries

To prevent falls from height, make sure that equipment for working from height, namely a proper ladder or stepladder, is available to employees and that they know where to find it, along with how to use it. You may need to provide employee training to achieve this.

While you can provide your employees with the correct tools for working safely at height, you cannot guarantee they will use them correctly. Providing training in working at height will make them aware of the risks and how to manage them, for example by teaching them best practice for using equipment.

Some safety tips when using ladders include maintaining three points of contact with it at all times (i.e. two feet and one hand) and never over-reaching on a ladder, as this can cause it to tip. You can test your knowledge of ladder safety in our article, here. 

To prevent falls on stairs, handrails are essential, as well as ensuring that each step is easy to see and the steps are well maintained and surfaced with slip-resistant material. We outline more control measures you can implement to prevent injuries to employees working at height in our article, here.

Electrical Accidents

Most office spaces are full of electrical equipment and it only takes a voltage as low as 50 volts to produce an electric shock. An electric shock can send a person into cardiac arrest, ultimately resulting in death unless that person receives CPR immediately. 

Even if an electric shock is not fatal, it can cause serious injuries, including: 

• Electrical burns. These are deep burns that can be permanently disabling. While burns are more common at higher voltages, they can still be caused by domestic electricity supplies when the current flows for more than a few fractions of a second. 
• Thermal burns. Thermal burns are caused by hot surfaces, such as those created by overloaded, faulty, poorly maintained or shorted electrical equipment. If electrics are allowed to get too hot, they can even explode or set on fire. 
• Muscle spasms. Electric shocks can produce strong muscle spasms that can be enough to break bones and cause dislocations. 

Electric shocks can also lead to further injury as they often cause the casualty to fall over which could cause a head injury or damage to other body parts on impact with the ground. 

Preventing Electrical Accident Injuries

You can prevent injuries caused by electrical equipment in your office by keeping equipment well maintained, including performing regular checks of equipment for any faults, such as exposed wires. 

You should also dispose of and replace any faulty equipment as soon as you discover it and ensure that all equipment has a PAT sticker to verify that it has been rested for electrical safety. 

Ensure that employees perform their own regular checks of equipment, particularly if they work from home and to flag any issues immediately – for example, if they think any of their equipment is overheating. You should also make sure that they are not overloading plug sockets as this can cause equipment to short, creating a risk of electric shock. 

Workplace First Aid Course

While many office injuries are preventable, unfortunately some will inevitably occur. Our Workplace First Aid course teaches you how to recognise various injuries and illnesses and provide the most appropriate first aid response for each, including in life-threatening situations such as cardiac arrest.

As an employer, your responsibility is to protect those in your workplace from harm in any way you can. Being aware of the most common causes of injury in an office will allow you to implement control measures to prevent them from happening to your employees or anyone else who visits your place of work. 

Further Resources:

• Office Hazard Checklist for Health and Safety 
• Health and Safety When Working With Computers: An Office Guide 
• How to Conduct a First Aid Needs Assessment – Free Template 
• Slips, Trips and Falls Quiz
• Tips for Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls in the Workplace
• Workplace First Aid Quiz
• What Are the Consequences Of Poor Health & Safety Procedures?

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All companies and places of work must have a qualified first aider, although the number of first aiders required will depend on the number of employees. If you are considering training to become a first aider, this article will offer some information about the role, highlight some of the responsibilities of a first aider and explain the desirable qualities of a good first aider.

Responsibilities of a First Aider

The role of a first aider is to provide initial medical assistance to someone who is sick or injured. Depending on the circumstances, they may be able to provide sufficient care to the casualty themselves, otherwise they would continue to provide aid until the casualty is well enough to seek further treatment themselves or until the emergency services arrive. They also ensure that they and anyone else involved in the situation is kept safe.

A first aider is someone who has received practical training in first aid so that they become qualified to provide emergency first aid to someone who has become injured or ill at work. 

Employers will determine how many first aiders their workplace needs by doing a first aid needs assessment. If a low-hazard workplace has fewer than 25 employees, the HSE recommends that having one first aider may be enough, or that you may not need one at all. However, it is good practice to have at least one trained first-aider in any workplace as you never know when a life-threatening injury or illness could occur or what could cause it. 

If you’d like to learn more about first aid needs assessments, check out our article, How to Conduct a First Aid Needs Assessment. 

Being a first aider, therefore, carries a range of different and incredibly important responsibilities. If you are a trained first aider and you think someone needs your help, you have a number of responsibilities to adhere to. 

The main responsibilities of a first aider include being able to:

1. Assess a situation quickly and calmly to get an understanding of what happened. This involves determining whether anyone is in danger, the cause of the situation, and how many people are affected.
2. Protect yourself and others from any danger. You should look for any danger in the casualty’s environment and always protect yourself first, only moving the casualty if leaving them would cause more harm. If you are unable to remove a danger yourself, call 999 for emergency help before approaching the casualty.
3. Reassure the casualty and keep them informed. If the casualty is responsive, you should introduce yourself to them, explain what’s happening and why, and explain what you’re going to do before you do it.
4. Prevent infection. You should try to wash your hands or use hand sanitiser or disposable gloves before administering first aid. The personal protective equipment (PPE) you use will depend on the nature of the incident and what is available in your workplace’s first aid kit. Check out our article on what should be included in a first aid kit, here. However, if a casualty has a life-threatening condition and you do not have protective equipment to hand, administering first aid should take priority over looking for it. 
5. Assess the casualty. You should perform the primary and secondary survey to determine what may be wrong with the casualty and the most appropriate first aid response, including identifying any life-threatening conditions that must be treated first. 
6. Administer first aid treatment, such as CPR or applying pressure to bleeding wounds. If a casualty has a life-threatening injury or condition, this should be priorities before treating less serious ailments. 
7. Arrange further assistance, if necessary. Call 999 for an ambulance if it’s serious, or take/send them to a hospital if it’s serious but unlikely to get any worse. For less serious conditions, suggest calling 111 for further advice or that they see a doctor if they are concerned or if the condition worsens. You should always stay with them until they have received the necessary care or medical professionals take over.

Looking to Learn More?

Our Workplace First Aid course will teach you how to identify different illnesses and injuries using the primary and secondary survey and provide the appropriate first aid response, including life-saving care, giving you the confidence to act quickly in emergency situations. 

Qualities of a Good First Aider

There are a whole range of skills that are beneficial for a first aider to have that will allow them to deal with medical situations quickly and in the best way possible. 

Some qualities that make a good first aider include: 

• Communication skills: you must be able to communicate effectively with the injured person so they feel they can trust you and are reassured. By calming their panic you will make the situation a lot easier for you both. You also need to be able to communicate relevant information about the casualty to the emergency services to make their job as easy as possible. 
• The ability to work under pressure: the demands placed on a first aider can range anywhere from something small, like a nosebleed, to something a lot more serious, like a cardiac arrest. As a first aider you need to be prepared for any possibility and have the confidence to react quickly to the situation, while remaining calm – panicking will only make a situation worse. 

• Initiative and leadership: in an emergency situation, particularly a medical emergency, time can play a crucial role in the outcome. Being able to act quickly, take the lead, use your initiative and trust your judgement are all vital skills for providing effective first aid. 

• The ability to work in a team: as well as being able to lead, you must be able to work effectively as part of a team. You may need to work alongside the emergency services to ensure the casualty gets the correct care so being able to cooperate with them is vital. 
• Positivity: someone who always sees the glass as half-full, rather than half-empty is a prime candidate for a first aider. Positivity will help you to reassure the injured or unwell person and prevent you from becoming mentally drained by the job. 

While this list is by no means exhaustive, it is essential to consider your personal qualities alongside any technical abilities when considering whether or not to become a first aider. 

Illnesses or injuries can happen at any time, often without warning, which is why trained first aiders are an asset to every workplace. However, first aiders hold a great deal of responsibility and if you are thinking of becoming one, it is vital that you are committed to the role, the responsibilities you will need to undertake and the qualities you may need to develop. 

Further Resources: 

• Workplace First Aid Quiz
• Guidance for First Aid Kits in the Workplace 
• Workplace Health and Safety Quiz 
• First Aid Qualifications: The Difference Between FAW and EFAW
• How to Support Individuals After Giving First Aid Assistance
• Online First Aid Courses

The post What are the Responsibilities of a First Aider? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

With so many potential risks to workers, it is essential that you put safety precautions in place to eliminate or manage them to reduce the risk of grinding related incidents and accidents. In fact, as an employer, you have a legal duty to identify and apply appropriate control measures in your workplace to reduce the risks to health and safety created by grinding. 

In this article, we will explain what grinding safety precautions are and how they can be identified and implemented using a grinding risk assessment and provide you with grinding safety tips to keep your workers safe and healthy. This article also includes a free, downloadable risk assessment template that you can use to identify grinding hazards and control measures in your specific workplace.

What are Grinding Safety Precautions?

Working with any kind of moving machinery is hazardous and can cause damage to property, injuries, illness and even death when operated incorrectly or without appropriate safety precautions in place.

Safety precautions, also known as control measures,can be implemented to reduce the risk posed by a certain hazard, mainly by reducing human exposure to that hazard.

The aim of a control measure is to eliminate a hazard completely but this isn’t always possible. For example, an abrasive wheel can break despite numerous safety precautions being taken. However, implementing these measures will greatly reduce the likelihood of a wheel breaking, and therefore,  the risk for those involved.

When implementing control measures to minimise workers’ exposure to grinding hazards, there is a priority order in which you need to apply these controls. This is called the hierarchy of control and the order is based on which control will most effectively prevent workers from being exposed to a hazard, thereby keeping them as safe as possible. 

You should aim to achieve the highest level of control on the hierarchy of control but if you cannot achieve this, then you should aim for the next level of control until you can implement one suitable. While the first two steps on the hierarchy aim to eliminate a hazard altogether, the final three are about reducing the risk a hazard poses. 

The hierarchy of control is: 

• Elimination – removing the hazard altogether. 
• Substitution – substituting the hazard for something else – for example, using a less dangerous machine instead of a grinding machine. This can be difficult if you are performing a specialised task that only one type of machine can perform. 
• Engineering controls – this may involve isolating, enclosing or guarding the hazard to keep workers safe. 
• Administrative controls – this involves changing the way people work to restrict their access to a hazard or how they interact with it and should involve employee training. 
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) – this is when workers are provided with specific equipment to protect them against hazards and is the least effective control method for preventing harm. 

The use of abrasive wheels is regulated by the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations act 1998 (PUWER) which legislates how machinery should be handled and operated to keep workers as healthy and safe as possible. 

As an employer, you are legally required to conform with these regulations if abrasive wheels are used in your workplace.

Under PUWER, you must ensure that all machinery used in your workplace, including grinding machinery, is: 

1. Suitable for its intended purpose.
2. Safe for use. 
3. Properly maintained and regularly inspected by a competent and trained individual. 
4. Operated, supervised and managed by competent and trained individuals, only. 
5. Accompanied by suitable health and safety measures and controls. 

We will go into more detail about some of the health and safety measures you can put in place to control grinding hazards in your workplace later in this article. However, you first need to identify the specific hazards relevant to your workplace that need to be controlled.This can be achieved through carrying out a risk assessment. 

Looking to Learn More?

If your job role involves grinding and the use of abrasive wheels, our Abrasive Wheels Training course teaches you about the risks of using abrasive wheels and how to work safely with them, according to legal requirements, by putting the appropriate control measures in place.

Grinding Risk Assessment

PUWER requires employers whose employees use grinding machinery to carry out a risk assessment of the machinery and processes involved. 

An abrasive wheel risk assessment should identify any potential and existing hazards associated with grinding in your workplace and the control measures that should be put in place to eliminate or reduce the risk they pose to workers. 

There are five key steps to performing a grinding risk assessment, including: 

1. Identifying hazards 

Make a list of any hazards that could arise from grinding in your workplace. You can take a look at our article on the hazards of grinding for a list of common workplace grinding hazards, here. Just remember that this list is not exhaustive, your workplace may have different hazards that also need to be controlled and the risk assessment should be tailored to your specific needs

2. Determine who may be harmed by each hazard 

You next need to decide who is most likely to be harmed by each of the identified hazards and how this could happen. For grinding, this is most likely to be the person operating the machine, but other workers in that environment could also be harmed – for example, by dust in the air, sparks or projectiles. 

3. Evaluate the level of risk and decide control measures 

You then need to determine the level of risk – low, medium or high – that each hazard poses. Use this ranking to decide which control measures are appropriate to eliminate or reduce exposure to that hazard. 

4. Record findings and implement control measures 

If your workplace employs five or more people, then legally you must record the findings of your risk assessment. It is also essential that you implement the control measures you have identified in your workplace as soon as possible, including training staff on these changes. 

5. Regularly review your risk assessment 

Your risk assessment should be reviewed regularly to identify any new grinding hazards or hazards that are not being effectively managed by the existing control measures. If these are identified, the risk assessment must be updated and new controls decided. This is necessary, for example, if new grinding machinery or processes are introduced or you have new staff. 

Below we have provided a free risk assessment template that you can download and adapt for use in your workplace to help you identify and control the hazards of grinding. 

Grinding Safety Tips

Control measures must be put in place to manage the risks posed by grinding to the health and safety of workers. The following list outlines some health and safety control measures that can be put in place in your workplace to reduce workers’ exposure to grinding hazards and keep them safe at work.

Employee Training

Under PUWER, employers must ensure that anyone they employ to use, repair, modify or perform maintenance or servicing on abrasive wheels is sufficiently trained to do so. This will ensure that workers understand the risks involved in using abrasive wheels and can implement the appropriate health and safety precautions at all times. 

As an employer, you are responsible for ensuring your workers have this level of training, which should cover, at a minimum: 

• Any hazards and risks that can arise from using abrasive wheels and the precautions that can be taken to control these. 
• The marking system for abrasive wheels. If you’d like to learn what the markings on abrasive wheels mean, consider reading our article, here. 
• How to transport and store abrasive wheels. 
• How to inspect and test abrasive wheels for damage. 
• The functions of each component used with abrasive wheels, such as flanges or blotters. 
• How to assemble an abrasive wheel correctly to ensure they are balanced correctly 
• How to dress an abrasive wheel.
• How to correctly adjust the work rest on a grinding machine. 
• Use of appropriate grinding safety PPE.

Appropriate Equipment

Using inappropriate equipment for grinding is a hazard. Machine operators must ensure that the abrasive wheel they use is fit for purpose, meaning it is compatible with both the grinding machine being used and the task being performed. Different wheels perform different functions depending on their properties, and using the wrong wheel can lead to fractures and breakage. 

If you want to know more about the different classifications of grinding wheels, take a look at our article, here. 

You should also make sure that any grinding machinery in your workplace has the following safety features: 

• Suitable operating controls that are easy to see and use and which don’t allow the machine from being switched on by mistake.
• An emergency stop function that is easy to locate and use.
• A failsafe function for if the machine malfunctions. 

Storing, Handling and Installation

The way your abrasive wheels are stored, handled and installed prior to use in grinding machines can make them more or less hazardous when operated.

Some measures for reducing this risk include: 

• Ensuring anyone who installs grinding machinery in your workplace is qualified to do so, meaning they can recognise signs of damage to the wheel and know when a wheel is unfit for purpose.
• Storing grinding tools as close to the grinding location as possible, in a dry location protected from excessive vibrations. This reduces the risk of damage and eventual breakage. 
• Handling wheels carefully to avoid dropping or bumping them and avoiding rolling wheels wherever possible. 
• Transporting wheels using conveyors with adequate support, particularly for large wheels.

Safe Systems of Work

One of the main causes of harm while grinding is improper operation of machinery. This is why employee training is so important.

To reduce the risk to health and safety when operating grinding machines, operators should: 

• Check the wheel is balanced before applying the workpiece. An out of balance wheel will emit strong vibrations, increasing the risk of HAVS and the wheel breaking. Redressing a wheel can improve its balance in most cases and wheels should be lightly dressed on a regular basis. 
• Never apply excessive force to the wheel with the workpiece. This could cause the operator to slip and make contact with the wheel or cause the wheel to develop stresses and flat spots, making it vulnerable to breakage. 
• Apply gradual, even pressure to the wheel with the workpiece, rather than hitting it with force. 
• Only grind on the outer surface of the wheel. Never grind on the side of the wheel unless advised to do so by the manufacturer. This can lead to wheels bursting or workpieces becoming stuck between the wheel and work rest. 
• Ensure the work rest is always adjusted as close as practicable to the wheel and kept secure.
• Make sure that the speed of the wheel does not exceed what is marked on the wheel by the manufacturer. Overspeeding causes wheel breakage. 
• Never use a grinding machine, or any moving machinery, under the influence of illegal drugs, alcohol or some prescription drugs. 
• Take regular breaks from grinding and exercise their hands during breaks to reduce the risk of HAVS. 

The Working Environment

There are some changes that can be made to the environment where grinding work is being carried out to reduce exposure to hazards for the operator and other workers.

These include: 

• Ensuring the environment is spacious enough that the machine operator is not at risk of being bumped while working, particularly if they work with portable grinders. 
• Making sure the environment is well ventilated so that grinding dust is removed from the air, protecting workers from health issues. 
• Making sure the space where grinding is taking place is uncluttered, particularly from anything flammable as abrasive wheels produce sparks that could easily cause a fire or explosion.
• Using a machine guard to reduce the risk posed by offsets from grinding, such as sparks, abrasive particles and projectiles and reduce the risk of the operator making contact with the machine. Make sure the material used for the guard is strong enough to withstand the potential forces on it. 

Where practicable, grinding machines should be restricted to the person using them to reduce unnecessary risk to other workers. This is the best way to protect them from health hazards like noise and dust. 

Inspection, Testing and Maintenance

Often, a visual inspection of an abrasive wheel before use can help to identify hazards. To manage these hazards, you should:

• Visually inspect the wheel before every use to make sure it has not become damaged through handling, storage or use. Damaged wheels are more fragile and prone to breaking.
• Ensure wheels are inspected and tested regularly by a trained person to identify any maintenance or cleaning needs. 
• Label wheels with the date you received them, making sure to use older wheels before newer ones. 
• Ensure new or refitted wheels are tested by the operator for one minute before being used. This gets the wheel up to speed and allows the operator to sense if anything is not quite right before using it. 

Remember, cracks in abrasive wheels aren’t always visible to the eye. One way to test for cracks is the ring test. This is where you suspend a wheel from a bore and tap it with a light, non-metallic tool. If a wheel is solid it will emit a clear, metallic ringing.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

As we have already established, PPE should be used as a last resort, after all other control measures have been implemented to manage risks. Employees should be provided with appropriate PPE to protect them against any unavoidable hazards of grinding. 

Depending on the type of work and machinery and as determined by your risk assessment, this may include: 

• Protective footwear to protect against anything, including the workpiece, being dropped from the machine onto their feet. 
• Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) including a face mask to prevent any dust that cannot be removed through ventilation from being inhaled by the operator or those in the vicinity. 
• Eye protection to protect against any projectiles, abrasive particles and dust that cannot be prevented using a machine guard, for example when using a portable grinding machine. 
• Hearing protection to protect against noise.
• Gloves to improve blood circulation and reduce the risk of HAVs. 
• Tight fitting overalls with cuffed sleeves.

As well as using PPE, there are some things that workers should avoid wearing while grinding, as a safety precaution against being drawn into the grinding machine. These include: 

• Long hair untied. 
• Long sleeves or loose clothing.
• Things worn around the neck, such as necklaces, ties or scarves.

With the number of potential hazards posed to workers using grinding machinery and abrasive wheels in the workplace, it is essential that you can identify these hazards in your workplace and put the appropriate controls in place to reduce risk. Performing a risk assessment is the best way to certify and maintain the health and safety of workers. 

Further Reading

• Ten Common Construction Site Hazards 
• RIDDOR: How to Report an Incident or Accident at Work
• 15 Workshop Hazards and How to Avoid Them
• What are the Consequences of Poor Health and Safety Procedures? 
• Health and Safety Training for Employees Course 

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• What is Greenwashing?
• Environmental Awareness For Kids Quiz
• Making Environmental Awareness a Priority in Your Workplace
• The Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility for Your Business
• What are Green Jobs & Why are They Important?
• How to Implement Corporate Social Responsibility in Your Small Business
• Environmental Awareness Training

The post Environmental Awareness Quiz appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

In this article, we will look at what lock out/tag out is, including an explanation of the seven steps involved in the process. We will also examine why lock out/tag out is important and provide guidance on improving the procedure in your workplace.

What is Lock Out/Tag Out?

Lock out/tag out (often referred to as LOTO) is a phrase to describe the safety procedures for the isolation of machinery and other work equipment in which energy is used, stored or created. It’s a system that helps to avoid the potential accidents and incidents that can occur during maintenance, servicing, repair or inspection activities in the workplace. 

LOTO involves placing a padlock on a machine once the energy has been fully isolated from it, and then attaching a tag to the machine to communicate that it should not be used. This ensures that workers can complete necessary maintenance, servicing, repair or inspection work safely, without putting themselves or others at risk. 

It is also used for machines that present risks during maintenance, servicing, repair or inspection. For example: power presses, processing machines and automatic processing lines, mixing machines, ovens, conveyor systems, mechanical handling systems and process lines, amongst others.

Risk assessment and the hierarchy of control

Lock out/tag out is an administrative step on the hierarchy of control. LOTO is a part of the risk assessment and part of a safe system of work (SSoW). 

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) requires all employers to conduct risk assessments for their work activities and locations. 

To do a risk assessment, you need to take the following five steps:

• Step 1: Identify the potential hazards in your workplace and from your work activities.
• Step 2: Think about who might be harmed and how – not just employees but also contractors, visitors and members of the public
• Step 3: Evaluate the risks and implement controls. This involves deciding how likely it is that the hazards will cause risk to health and safety and what to do about it.
• Step 4: Record your findings. This is a legal requirement if you employ five or more people, but it is good practice for any workplace and activities there.
• Step 5: Regularly review your risk assessment as things change, such as new or altered processes or new employees.

It’s important to remember that LOTO as a process is not a substitute for a risk assessment. 

The hierarchy of control is intrinsic to a risk assessment. It is a five-level structure that helps employers and duty holders understand the order in which precautions should be applied to control the risks associated with their work activities.

The hierarchy starts with the most effective controls at the top of the structure, descending to the least effective. When considering selecting controls for your work activities, they must be adopted in the order outlined below:

• Elimination.
• Substitution.
• Engineering controls.
• Administrative controls.
• PPE.

As mentioned previously, LOTO is an administrative step on the hierarchy of control and part of a safe system of work. We will explore what this means below. 

Safe systems of work (SSoW)

Once elimination, substitution, and engineering controls have been considered to manage risks, under the hierarchy of control, administrative controls can be used to reduce any remaining risks.

Administrative controls include enforcing safe systems of work (SSoW) and ensuring employees are provided with the necessary information, instruction, and training. LOTO is one example of an administrative control. 

A safe system of work is a combination of physical controls, procedures, plans, training and information that provides a safe work environment or a safe work activity for all employees.

The key information contained within a safe system of work is:

• Safe Place of Work. The work environment should be safe and not pose risks to health or safety for the work activities that will be undertaken. For example, there should be adequate lighting, access, and ventilation.
• Safe Work Equipment. The safe system of work should include the selection of the most suitable type of work equipment and/or substance by an experienced manager, with the advice of a specialist company where necessary.
• Safe Substances for Use at Work. The safe system of work should only allow the safest substances possible. This may mean substituting dangerous, flammable, or toxic substances, such as chemicals or gases, for safer alternatives. 
• Safe Management, Supervision, and Monitoring. Managers, supervisors, those who plan the work, and other duty holders should be competent in their duties. This includes an understanding of the hazards and risks involved with the work activities and work environment, and how to safely supervise and monitor activities.
• Safe Workers. Employees and any others undertaking work activities must be fully trained in the safe system of work, including any work equipment, use of substances, and rescue arrangements.

The Seven Steps of LOTO

There are a number of critical steps to a LOTO procedure. These are a logical series of actions that ensure all the steps of LOTO are completed. Almost all LOTO procedures fall into this series of steps, which we have listed below. 

• Step 1: Preparation – This involves identifying the energy sources and control devices of the machine in question – for example, how is the machine powered? Electricity is the most commonly used energy source; however, some machinery is powered by hydraulic or pneumatic energy. 
• Step 2: Initial Information and Training – It’s crucial to ensure that everyone who needs to know that the work equipment will be under maintenance, serviced, repair or inspection are fully informed beforehand. This includes not only employees who usually work on or nearby the machine, but others such as contractors or cleaning staff that work in the vicinity.
• Step 3: Initial Isolation of Work Equipment – All forms of energy need to be fully isolated from the work equipment. The first step here is to switch off the stop button on the machine – which doesn’t isolate the equipment. That needs to be done separately, usually by moving the isolator switch for the equipment to ‘off’.
• Step 4: LOTO – Lock Out of Work Equipment –  Now that the machine’s isolator has been switched off, it should be locked with a padlock. Typically there are two holes in the isolator handle or the isolator switch in the main control panel. Once these holes are aligned, a padlock can be fitted and locked. Usually, the person who locks off the equipment also retains the key.
• Step 5: LOTO – Tagging and Testing – As soon as the padlock has been fitted, the person doing the work should also fit a “lock out warning tag”. This tag should be able to be attached securely to either the padlock or the machine, and must contain a warning label. It should also have the space to write the name of the person who has fitted it. 
• Step 6: Communication During the Work – It’s essential, for the safety of everyone involved, that there are clear lines of communication throughout the maintenance, service, repair or inspection work. Voice communication is often sufficient, however, if the maintenance takes place in an enclosed space, for example, or an area with low-light, it might be necessary to use a radio or another wireless system.
• Step 7: Completion of Work and Return to Service – Before the work equipment is released for normal service, a manager or supervisor must confirm that the work has been completed and the equipment is in a safe condition. It’s vital that the lock out devices and tags are removed by the same person who fitted them. 

Want to Learn More?

Our Lock Out/Tag Out course outlines the health and safety hazards and risks that LOTO helps to control, and how the principles of LOTO should be applied to risk assessments.

Why is LOTO Important?

Lock out/tag out is a safety process that helps to safeguard employees against hazards and risks that they, and other people in the vicinity, can be exposed to while routine maintenance is carried out. 

These include, but are not limited to:

• Moving parts of machinery. This can cause entrapment, crushing and/or amputation of parts of the body. Examples include the tools of machinery, moving parts of plant such as rotating blades in fans, mixers of tanks or drums or conveyor systems. 
• Electrical risks. As we’ve explained, electricity is the most commonly used energy source, and this presents its own risks. For example, electric conductors, which are assumed ‘dead’ and are exposed for work on them may become live and cause electric shock or burns.
• Falls from height. It’s common for maintenance work to involve working on roofs, gutters and building services. Equally, it may involve needing to reach raised sections of machinery or work equipment. These activities would involve using access equipment. For more information on controlling working at height hazards, check out our article, here. 
• Falls of heavy objects. Heavy items sometimes have to be moved or are disturbed during maintenance work – for example, access covers or disconnected parts.
• Disturbing asbestos. Many older plant and machinery items still contain asbestos products, for example, gaskets, filters and other parts. There is also asbestos-containing material in parts of older buildings and structures, for instance, sprayed asbestos coating on steelwork and pipes, lagging, and asbestos insulation boards. For more information on asbestos, check out our article. 

Legal Requirements

There are a number of Regulations under health and safety law that must be complied with that relate to LOTO. We have explained some of the key legislation below. 

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, employers must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, their employees’ health, safety and welfare whilst at work. This is a wide-ranging duty and encompasses preventing and controlling risks that may result from maintenance, servicing, repair or inspection work. This includes ensuring the proper planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of preventative and protective measures.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) 1999 also applies to all work activities and places additional legal duties on employers to manage health and safety in the workplace. 

One of the key duties under MHSWR is to ensure that a risk assessment is regularly carried out and the findings are recorded. 

Under both the HSW Act and MHSWR, employees also have responsibilities to work safely and in accordance with any training and information given to them and to immediately report any health and safety concerns to their employer or manager.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 apply to a wide range of work equipment across all types of work activities, and are therefore relevant to LOTO procedures, too. 

How to Improve LOTO Safety

There are certain ways that employers can help to improve the safety of a LOTO procedure, including ensuring that inspections are carried out and that all employees are fully trained. We’ll look at these in more detail below. 

LOTO Inspections

If your workplace uses LOTO procedures, there should be an inspection conducted at least once every 12 months to evaluate the current system in place.

The inspection must be conducted by a competent person. There must also be a second person involved, who carries out the LOTO procedure. The person carrying out the inspection cannot be the one carrying out the procedure. 

A LOTO inspection must determine whether:

• Employees are aware of, and fully understand, their responsibilities regarding how to conduct a LOTO procedure safely.
• Each step of the LOTO procedure is being followed – including, for example, whether everyone involved is being informed of the upcoming maintenance and whether they each understand what the different types of lock out/tag out devices, such as padlocks or tags, mean. 
• The overall success of the current system in place. 

The results of the inspection will highlight any deficiencies with the current system and controls should then be implemented to improve or make changes to the process – such as offering further training to employees – if the results show a need for improvement. 

LOTO Training

Employers must provide LOTO training and having employees complete lock out/tag out training has many benefits. A training course outlines the hazards and risks associated with maintenance work in detail, highlighting the importance of using a LOTO procedure to protect employees from these. 

It also explores each step of the risk assessment process in detail, and explains how it links with the hierarchy of control and safe systems of work. 

A LOTO training course will also outline the seven steps of a LOTO procedure, and goes into detail about what is required at each step. It also describes the role and responsibilities of those involved in LOTO.

Take a look at our Lock Out/Tag Out Training course which is suitable for workers at all levels, who are involved in lock out/tag out procedures to complete routine maintenance, service, repair or inspection of work equipment.

However, it’s crucial to understand that a lock out/tag out training course must accompany practical training and be a part of general health and safety training. It is not a substitute. Completing an online course does not provide any assurances of being deemed competent to carry out procedures such as LOTO. Instead, it provides awareness and theoretical knowledge of the procedure. 

We hope you’ve found this article on lock out/tag out informative and helpful. If you have any further questions about the topics discussed in this article, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at High Speed Training. You can contact our friendly team on 0333 006 7000 or email support@highspeedtraining.co.uk. 

Further Resources

• Online Health & Safety Courses
• Understanding DSEAR – Area Classification & Hazardous Substances
• What is a Safety Data Sheet?

The post What is Lock Out/Tag Out? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

Looking to Learn More?

Our Workplace First Aid and Paediatric First Aid Training are suitable for staff members who wish to learn new first aid skills and gain an awareness. We also offer First Aid at Work (FAW) Refresher and Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) Refresher which are intended for qualified first aiders who need to maintain their existing first aid skills.

How Many First Aiders Are Required By Law?

By law (the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981), employers must make sure they provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities, and personnel in the workplace. However, what is adequate and appropriate is quite vague and it can be difficult to know how to ensure you are legally compliant. Therefore, in order to ensure you do have the adequate number of first aiders in your organisation, you should carry out a first aid needs assessment.

How to Carry Out a First Aid Needs Assessment

Carrying out a first aid needs assessment may seem a daunting challenge but it really doesn’t need to be. The purpose of a first aid needs assessment is to ensure there are suitable provisions in place in case of an accident or incident. While it isn’t a legal requirement for the first aid needs assessment to be written down or formal, keeping a written record is recommended. As an employer, you can use this assessment to demonstrate to an HSE or local authority inspector how you decided what level of first aid provision is required.

When carry out a first aid needs assessment, consider the following points:

• What type of work is carried out?
• Does the workplace have low or high level hazards?
• Has there been a history of accidents at the workplace?
• Do you have any lone workers?
• How big is your workforce?
• Does your workforce stay onsite or work remotely?
• Are your workers in full time or part time jobs?
• What is the nature of the workforce? E.g. young workers, employees with disabilities or particular health problems, or trainees.
• Is your workplace within easy distance and access for the emergency services?
• Do you have a large number of visitors to the workplace?

When carrying out your first aid needs assessment, remember to take into account the practicalities of day to day work. For example, if you decide you only need one first aider, what do you do if that person goes off sick or is on holiday? Do you have someone in their place that is trained to the same level? Think about whether people regularly visit your workplace. If you work in an organisation that has a lot of visitors onsite, then it is advised that you are able to treat them should a situation arise.

High hazard workplaces, such as construction sites with dangerous machinery, will likely require qualified first-aiders who have completed additional training for first aiders to respond to injuries resulting from special hazards. Having carried out a first aid needs assessment of your workplace, you will be able to determine what level of provision is required.

Looking to Learn More?

Our article on How to Conduct a First Aid Needs Assessment provides a free downloadable template that you can use in your workplace.

Note, however, that the HSE no longer approve courses themselves. If qualified first aider are needed, you should ensure they take appropriate training. The means of assessment should include a practical assessment and, at the end of the training, participants should gain a certificate in First Aid at Work (FAW) or Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW). To remain a qualified first aider, they must take FAW or EFAW requalification practical training every three years. It also recommended that they keep their skills up to date by taking refresher training every year. We offer both First Aid at Work (FAW) Refresher and Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) Refresher training.

How Many First Aiders Do I Need In My Workplace?

Having carried out a first aid needs assessment, you are now in a place to understand how many first aiders are required in your workplace. As was explained earlier, there is not a legal set number of first aiders that you need at work.

Low-Risk Workplaces

The HSE recommends that if work activities are low level hazard (e.g. office or shops) and there’s fewer than 25 employees, only one appointed person as a minimum may be suitable and a first-aider may not be required at all. If the number of employees in this scenario increases to between 25 and 50, then at least one EFAW first aider is needed. If more than 50 people are employed, then at least one first aider trained in FAW for every 100 employed is needed.

High-Risk Workplaces

If a workplace has higher level hazards present (e.g. food processing or chemical manufacture), then at least one appointed person is required if there are fewer than five employees. For 5 to 50, at least one first aider trained in FAW or EFAW (depending on the type of injuries that may be sustained) is suggested. When the number of employees exceeds 50, at least one first aider trained in FAW for every 50 employed.

Hybrid Working

Over recent years, it’s become more common for people to split their working hours between the traditional workplace and their homes, perhaps working three days in the workplace and two days from their home office. The need for first aiders in the workplace hasn’t changed, however, and it’s vital that you still have an adequate and appropriate number of trained people on-site whenever people are working there. Ideally, there should be at least one appointed person available in the workplace at all times. If the usual first aider is working from home, then a replacement first aider should be appropriately trained to cover the workplace whilst they are away.

A hybrid working policy should include details of who the appointed first aiders are and how their presence in the workplace will be managed so that there’s always a qualified first aider on-site. This may require more employees to be trained in first aid to ensure there are enough people to enable coverage on all days of the week. Bear in mind that the more employees present on-site, the more trained first aiders you will need, as detailed above.

Do I Need an Appointed Person?

If your first aid needs assessment shows that you do not need any first aiders, then you must have an appointed person as a minimum. This person is in charge of first aid arrangements, such as calling the emergency services when required and maintaining first aid equipment. They do not need to have undertaken first aid training, though an awareness level is advised.

An appointed person may also take charge of arrangements if there is only one first aider and they are absent due to unforeseen circumstances, e.g. sickness. However, if there are an adequate number of qualified first aiders, an appointed person is not necessary.

In this article, you’ve learnt how many first aiders you need in the workplace, whether you work in a small office, large worksite or practise hybrid working. We hope you’ve found the information useful.

Further Resources:

• Workplace First Aid Quiz
• Guidance for First Aid Kits in the Workplace
• Workplace Health & Safety Quiz
• HR Guide to Health & Safety – PDF Template
• First Aid Qualifications: The Difference Between FAW and EFAW
• What are the Responsibilities of a First Aider?
• Online Workplace First Aid Training

The post How Many First Aiders Do I Need In My Workplace? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

What Does Defensive Driving Mean?

Defensive driving is about being able to anticipate hazards and act accordingly to reduce the chances of an accident. Despite its name, defensive driving isn’t about driving more aggressively to ward off other road users. Rather, it means using a variety of observational techniques to keep you and everyone else safe whilst driving.

Defensive driving is all about awareness. It means being attentive to your surroundings, constantly using your mirrors to observe what other road users are doing and thinking one step ahead about any upcoming hazards in the road.

What is the Importance of Defensive Driving?

As a driver, you should always be thinking one step ahead – what potential hazards can you see, what might become a risk further along the road and what are other road users doing that might affect you? Good observation skills will help you to anticipate these dangers and respond safely and appropriately, well before an incident can occur. Observation is key to good defensive driving.

Unfortunately, you can’t rely on other road users to always act safely, which highlights the importance of defensive driving. Remember to use your mirrors effectively and regularly, as this will help you to identify the positions of other drivers, monitor your blind spots and ensure the road around you remains safe for the manoeuvres you need to make.

The following statistics show us the importance of defensive driving. Did you know that, in the UK:

• Someone is killed or seriously injured on the roads every 16 minutes.
• The majority of road collisions involve at least one car.
• Between 2016 and 2021, over 100 motorbike riders were seriously injured every single week, two thirds of which were on rural roads.
• For bikes, pedestrians and motorbikes, the most commonly cited reason behind a collision is always ‘Driver/rider/pedestrian failed to look properly’.

Alongside improving safety, defensive driving practices have other benefits, too. Not only do they help to keep you and other road users safe from incidents, but they can also contribute towards lower fuel consumption, better vehicle performance and reduced vehicle costs. This is because defensive driving techniques, by their nature, cause you to drive more carefully, smoothly and consistently.

Want to Learn More?

Our Driver Awareness course teaches you about the dangers associated with driving, helping you become better at anticipating and negotiating driving risks and distractions to make the road safer for you and other road users.

Defensive Driving Tips and Techniques

Defensive driving is important for everyone, whether you drive for work or leisure and no matter the type of vehicle you own. Listed below are our top 10 defensive driving tips to help you see where you can improve your safe driving skills:

1. Maintain a safe distance – always leave enough distance between you and the car in front to give yourself time to react if they suddenly brake. A gap also gives you a better view of the road ahead, so you can look for upcoming hazards. The Highway Code says to allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front.

2. Know your reaction times – your ability to react quickly is essential to defensive driving. Note that your overall stopping distance includes both thinking time – when you spot a hazard and realise you need to react – and braking time. On average, at 30 mph your stopping distance is the equivalent to six car lengths (23m or 75 feet), whilst at 60 mph your stopping distance is a huge 18 car lengths (73m or 240 feet).

3. Be aware of your speed – if you’re driving too far below the speed limit (without good reason) then you risk being a hazard to other road users who may not perceive how slowly you’re driving as they approach behind you. If you are driving above the speed limit, think carefully about why you are doing so and aim to change your attitude towards driving – always think safety, not speed.

4. Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre (MSM) – this technique should be used every time you intend to change your position on the road. Check your mirrors (M) to note the speed and position of traffic around you, signal (S) to warn other road users of your intended movement and then manoeuvre (M) when it’s safe to do so.

5. Prepare, Observe and Move (POM) – this safe driving technique should be used whenever you set off from a stationary position, such as when parked or when stopped at a junction or traffic lights. Prepare (P) to move away when the road is clear, observe (O) other road users around you, then move (M) away when it’s safe to do so.

6. Mirror, Signal, Position, Speed and Look (MSPSL) – this driving technique should be used whenever you approach a junction, roundabout or traffic light. First check your mirrors (M) for other road users, then signal (S) using your indicators to make them aware of your plans. Position (P) your vehicle ready to move, maintain an appropriate speed (S) and look (L) around you for potential hazards.

7. Adapt to the weather conditions – if there is a chance of severe weather on your journey, then you’ll need to take extra precautions to protect yourself and other road users. For example, slow down in wet weather as roads can be slippery, only drive in snow and ice if it’s necessary and be aware that ice can increase your stopping distance by ten times, and remember to use your fog lights if visibility is low.

8. Check your attitude – it’s unsafe to drive when tired or emotional, so check how you feel before setting off on a road journey. To help manage tiredness, you should take a break of 15 minutes every two hours and avoid long journeys between midnight and 6am, as this is when you are the least alert. If you’re feeling frustrated, angry, upset or distracted, good defensive driving practice would be to pull over and rest until you feel you can give the road your full attention.

9. Understand the Hierarchy of Road Users – the Highway Code’s Hierarchy of Road Users demonstrates who is most at risk on the road and who has most responsibility for reducing those risks. Those at the top of the hierarchy are most at risk; pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists. Those at the bottom of the hierarchy are least at risk but who could cause the greatest harm to others, so therefore have more responsibility to drive safely. These are cars, vans, minibuses and drivers of large goods and passenger vehicles.

10. The Dutch Reach – the Dutch Reach is encouraged by the Highway Code as it increases other road users’ safety when you’re getting out of your vehicle. To perform the Dutch Reach, you must open your car door with the hand furthest from the door. So if you are in the driver’s seat on the right side of the car, you should open the door with your left hand. This defensive driving technique makes you naturally turn your head and look over your shoulder as you reach across, prompting you to check for passing road users before opening the door.

This article has helped you recognise the importance of defensive driving and given you tips and techniques to help improve your safe driving skills. We hope that you’ve found the article useful, whether you drive for work or simply want to brush up on your defensive driving knowledge.

Further Resources: 

• Driver Awareness Course
• Driving Safety Tips for Employees
• A Guide to the Most Common Workplace Hazards

The post What is Defensive Driving? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.